Around Seattle: Chihuly Garden and Glass

You can't talk about a trip to Seattle and not include a photo of the Space Needle! It is in the same center as the museum so I grabbed a quick shot before we went in. We opted not to go to the top- this trip. 

Before I move back into the land of home renovations I wanted to share the last place my mother and I visited when she was here recently. If you've ever had the chance to see a Chihuly glass sculpture then you know what an amazing visual experience they are. He's from Seattle so there is a permanent exhibit of his work here. Needless to say, it's a magical experience.

One of the first rooms you enter is dark (as is much of the museum to better showcase the glass) and filled with these gorgeous bowls with fluted rims and ethereal combinations of color.

 From the outside the bowl is light greens and yellows but inside it is a sea green. I love that the rim is an almost neon blue ribbon around the top.

Two such different but vibrant colors- the fiery red on the outside but cool lavender inside.

This is a close-up of my favorite bowl. The gradations of blue with the pink white interspersed made me think of the ocean in sunlight. There is a feeling of movement in the colors.

This piece is a stunner, hanging in the corner of a room like a Rorschach test. What is it- a writhing mass of icy snakes? A whirling dervish? It is fierce and fragile at the same time.

Also along the theme of water, this is a massive installation that goes from floor to ceiling but it is the smaller hidden glass pieces that fascinate me.

If you've ever been to Las Vegas you've seen a Chihuly ceiling sculpture at the Bellagio. This one looks as if you're walking under the ocean floor with fantastical sunlight infused creatures floating above you. Magical.

This beautiful flower chain floats in the glass house. It has almost Chinese dragon feel about it.

Up close the feeling turns into one of Chinese fans- all lovely and striated, almost floating on air.

As you can see, I find much of Chihuly's work to be almost meditative. I can easily imagine sitting and looking at a single piece for hours- especially the glass house piece above, the ceiling sculpture and the bowls. Largely, because the play of light changes the eye's perception of shape, color, and meaning. Almost like looking at clouds as they shift from one shape to another.

Have you ever seen any of Dale Chihuly's work? If so, where and what did you think?